Help us ‘Fill the Plate’

At The Heritage Area Agency on Aging, we believe providing meals to vulnerable seniors in our communities is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing.

The Heritage Area Agency on Aging's Fill the Plate telethon broadcast Tuesday on KCRG-TV9 TV 9, from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., will bring support and awareness for the Regional Senior Nutrition Program. The Fill the Plate effort was developed in 2014, in response to a significant cut in available funding for meals throughout east central Iowa. While the past four telethons have produced great support and success, the needs of our older adults still outpaces the available funding for and volunteers to provide these services. A strong nutrition program to support seniors in our region is critical for seniors to be able to retain their health and to support their ability to stay in their own homes and avoid institutional placement for as long as possible.

The cost of providing an entire year of home delivered meals to one senior is less than one month in an institutional setting. Additionally, seniors that receive daily meals and live alone, experience the greatest improvements in mental and physical health, a reduced risk for falls, and have less concern about their ability to remain in their home. By lessening feelings of isolation and loneliness and by reducing the rate of falls, our collaborative research findings suggest that traditional Meals on Wheels service delivery has the greatest potential to decrease health care costs. Assisting older adults remain at home longer, and preventing premature institutionalization, saves families and taxpayers costs associated with Medicaid long-term care and Medicare hospitalizations.

One of the most poignant aspects of these programs is the strength and long-term benefits of access to daily meals and social contact for seniors. This kind of one-on-one interaction is especially important during the holiday season. It is even more stressful for seniors that live alone with no family or friends willing or able to visit with them. A simple daily visit from a warm and friendly face, can improve the quality of life, feed the mind and lift the spirits of a homebound senior, which is often more beneficial than the meal they receive.

We sincerely hope that you will consider tuning into this year's Fill the Plate telethon on Tuesday broadcast on KCRG-TV9 TV 9 from 4:30 a.m. 10:30 p.m. to learn more about these vital programs, and support the most at-risk seniors in our region.

Donations are now being accepted on the Fill the Plate website at www.kirkwood.edu/filltheplate.

For additional information on the Fill the Plate telethon, please feel free to contact Tim Getty at the Heritage Agency by phone 3(19) 398-5559 Ext 1096 or via email at tim.getty@kirkwood.edu

Through continued community support of these vital programs, seniors throughout Eastern Iowa will continue to receive the nutritious meals and vital companionship and safety checks they so desperately need and deserve.

We hope that you and your family have a very happy holiday season and prosperous New Year.

' Joe Sample is executive director of, and Tim Getty is the regional nutrition coordinator for The Heritage Area Agency on Aging.